Rex sticking with Sanchez after Dolphins pummel Jets

Oct. 28, 2012
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Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon (50) blocks the field goal attempt by New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (2) at the end of 2nd quarter at New MetLife Stadium on Oct. 28, 2012. / William Perlman, US Presswire

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. â?? Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan -- quarterback and coach -- shared a sense of shock and an air of deflation following the New York Jets' 30-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Yet the coach is sticking to his guns, and the quarterback will keep his job, despite doing little to quiet growing fan clamoring for a shakeup, such as the promotion of backup Tim Tebow.

Following Sanchez's two-turnover performance, Ryan was asked once again if he would consider replacing Sanchez with Tebow, who didn't throw a pass Sunday. Ryan replied with the familiar "Mark is our starter." Asked if he would consider an assistant coaching change before playing the Seattle Seahawks following a bye week, Ryan said only, "No."

The Jets, 3-5, are in last place in the AFC East.

"Mark's our quarterback, and I just felt he gave us the best chance to win," Ryan said. "I believe in all of our players. I believe in Mark. He's proven that he can win in this league. That's my opinion, and that's the one that matters."

When Sanchez was off, he was way off. He fumbled once and threw several near-interceptions before being picked off at the Dolphins' 1-yard line late in the third quarter. When he was on, his teammates were off. His potential first-half touchdown toss to rookie Stephen Hill went through Hill's flailing arms and bounced off his chest.

In the locker room, Hill dressed quickly, hoping to beat incoming Hurrican Sandy and solidify his family's travel plans. Across the room, running back Shonn Greene remained in full pads, slumped in a chair beside his locker, his shoulder pads unbuckled and pushing up to his ears.

Like a lot of Jets, he had no words.

"I don't know what to say," Hill said. "We put in extra, extra work. This is one of those speechless times. We just â?¦ I don't know.

"We just have to dial in and come ready to work."

The Jets now have lost four of their last five games with a passing attack which ranks among the league's worst.

Over and over, the Dolphins sent a blitzing defensive back at Sanchez's backside. It paid off big when Sanchez was sacked and stripped of the football on first down at his own 37 near the end of the first quarter. The Dolphins recovery led to a Daniel Thomas touchdown run to put Miami up 17-0. In total, Sanchez was sacked four times, completing 28 of 54 passes for 283 yards.

"It's just a lot of miscues on our end," Sanchez said. "We had repped just about every one of those pressures. Coming off of a bye week, they had some wrinkles and some tweaks and stuff, but nothing we couldn't handle. And we just didn't handle it today."

Sanchez's performance was hardly the worst thing about the Jets' day.

Ryan said he was "blown away" by the loss -- apt words following a football game played under a sinister sky with a hurricane promising to slam the eastern seaboard. As coastal metro-area residents were asked to abandon their homes in preparation for the storm, MetLife Stadium had its own evacuation Sunday, as the Dolphins ran up an early lead and the Jets fumbled in all three phases of the game.

"To say I never saw this coming is an understatement," Ryan said. "We were all looking forward to this game. But in this league you've got to execute.

"Without question this is a tough one to accept. But we'll roll our sleeves up and we'll find a way to get it done."

Some lowlights:

-- New York's offense didn't cross the 50-yard line until there were less than two minutes to play in the first half.

-- The defense knocked Dolphins starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill out of the game early, yet failed to rattle his backup, Matt Moore, who passed for 131 yards with a touchdown, and was sacked only once.

-- The punt team, which includes Tebow, gave up a blocked kick that was recovered for a first-half touchdown. The Jets also had a field goal blocked and failed to recover an onside kick.

Tebow didn't throw a pass and played very little at quarterback, rushing once for two yards. That blocked punt came when the Dolphins overloaded the middle, sending two rushers at Tebow, the personal protector. Tebow blocked one, and Jimmy Wilson swatted the kick.

The Dolphins (4-3) won their third consecutive game to stay 1/2 game behind the New England Patriots (5-3) in the AFC East.